This week, Harrison Bard, co-founder and CEO of Custom Cones USA and DaySavers, is back on the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss where pre-roll manufacturers still need help and why his company joined the new Science of Smokability study.

This week, Jill Ellsworth, founder and CEO of Willow Industries, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why consumers should not be sold moldy products, full stop.

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

Words

This week, Arthur De Cordova, president and CEO of Ziel and Ketch DeGabrielle, former director of operations at Los Sueños Farms, join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how they created a consistent, repeatable and predictable way to treat microbial pathogens with radio frequency—but not without setting a few samples on fire first. 

This week, Wendy Bronfein and Rebecca Raphael of Curio Wellness join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how they've built Curio into a resource for consumers looking for cannabis products tailored to specific needs — and less of a generic experience.

This week, Nate Russell, CEO of The Lab and VP of AE Global Midwest joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he has survived (and thrived) in the cannabis industry despite taking some hits along the way, like robbery, litigation and a mountain lion attack.

This week, Joe Lustberg, managing partner of Upwise Capital, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he helps greenlight construction projects and equipment purchases, the realities of the "cannabis tax," and his new perspective as an operator in New York.

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

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This week, Meg Sanders, CEO of Canna Provisions, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why it might be time to loosen regulations and take our hands off the wheel a little bit.

Meg Sanders got her start in the cannabis industry in 2009. It was an exciting new industry and Sanders is an entrepreneur at heart who loves a new challenge.

In 2010, she got into the consulting side of the business because she saw a huge need for expertise in the industry, particularly when new states came online. She sold the company in 2017 and moved to the east coast with her partner, Erik Williams. As they consulted for new companies in the Massachusetts market, a client came to them and asked them to come onboard as operators. Canna Provisions was born. The company started on the retail side, opening the second adult-use dispensary in the state, but has since become vertically integrated.

Working with a brand new regulatory body in the state was difficult, with seasoned operators engaging with brand new regulators who didn't really understand the plant or the process. While the state is maturing, it is still rife with inefficiencies that need to be addressed.

It's also expensive from a compliance standpoint and Sanders suggests that it might be time to take the regulatory hands off the wheel a little bit. She says most people in cannabis are struggling against a thriving legacy market because states and municipalities are too greedy when it comes to cannabis. The only ones winning in cannabis are the states.

Jump around:

• Transitioning from consulting to becoming an operator. (3:34)
• Trying to work with new regulators. (5:14)
• Inefficient state regulations. (7:44)
• Problems staffing regulator positions. (17:31)
• Issues with intoxicating hemp products. (21:42)
• What it's like to be a woman in cannabis. (34:24)
• Cultivation strategy with living legend Chemdog. (41:45)
• Why they switched to an employee-owned company. (46:24)

This week, Michael Wang, co-CEO of Ispire Technology, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he helped build a multi-million-dollar vaping empire by solving pain points for cannabis brands and operators.

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

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This week, Drew Nowak, founder of Freedom Green, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how his NFL career prepared him for the competitive Michigan cannabis market.

Before Drew Nowak started his cannabis career, he was a professional athlete, playing in the NFL for nearly five seasons. Nowak spent time as a lineman with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs.

Nowak founded Freedom Green in Kalkaska, Michigan, to grow high-quality medical and recreational cannabis.

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Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

This week, A.C. Moon, founder of Indica Innovations International, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why it is imperative for cannabis operators to learn about cannabis licensing and IP management.

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Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

This week, Hirsh Jain, founder of Ananda Strategy, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss Florida's potential, why we can't overlook smaller states and why cannabis operators need help with pretty much everything.

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To email the podcast ,email David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com. To sponsor the podcast, email Tom Lynch at Tom@cannabisequipmentnews.com. 

Editor's Note: Download the audio version below and click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

This week, Jake Goodyear, president, and Sarah McLaughlin, director of product R&D at Melt-to-Make, join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how they are making it faster and easier to make high-quality edibles.

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

This week, Phoebe DePree, CEO of Goddess Growers joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss her pursuit to make the perfect edible. 

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This week, Darren Gleeman, managing partner at MBO Ventures, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) solve the 280E riddle for cannabis operators while increasing employee retention and productivity.

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Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. To sponsor the podcast, contact Tom Lynch at Tom@cannabisequipmentnews.com. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com. 

This week, Kyle Neathery, CEO of Samson Extracts, joins the Cannabis Equipment News Podcast to discuss how he moved from a cannabis operation in Michigan to running a massive hemp processing system in Alabama and all the challenges he encountered along the way.

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This week, Graham Farrar, co-founder, president and chief cannabis officer of Glass House joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he growing a lot of weed and selling it faster than he can grow it.

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This week, Leslie Bocskor, CEO and chairman of Indoor Harvest joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss the tremendous potential for the cannabis and hemp industries to disrupt multiple markets.

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This week, Jason Haley, owner of Care Waialua and Justin Lehmann from PSGX World join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast from Hawaii to discuss last year's raid on the farm, problems with legalization and why the plant should be free for all.

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Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

This week, Ngaio Bealum, comedian, musician, writer and cannabis advocate, joins the Cannabis Equipment News to talk about how the industry has changed since he became a part of it and how his role within it has evolved as well.

Ngaio Bealum, like many people in the cannabis industry, started out as a stoner. As his love for cannabis grew, so did his knowledge of the legal and social hurdles facing it, and that drove him to become a cannabis activist.

"I mean, I was always an activist, but that became my cause," he said.

Bealum has a lot of irons in the fire. He's a comedian, musician, writer, and cannabis advocate. He credits weed and coffee with his ability to handle such a large and varied workload. He initially resisted the label of cannabis comedian due to the bias it often elicited but eventually decided to just lean into it and embrace the community.

Bealum has been a part of the cannabis community for decades and has watched the industry evolve. He's frustrated with the pace of legalization but encouraged by some recent developments like Germany's recent decision to liberalize cannabis. Despite some similarities, he warned against regulating cannabis like the tobacco industry, stressing that consumers should be able to interact with and smell the cannabis they're buying. He said the cannabis buying process should be more "deli style."

He hopes the future of cannabis consumption looks more like a fancy wine shop that functions more like a cannabis club and social program.

This week, Owen Papworth, co-founder of Oregonix Farms, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss why efficiency per foot is paramount in finding early success as a craft grower with limited canopy feet in a young Illinois market.

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This week, Nick Recht and Scott Fabian from Teklynx join the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how they are eliminating room for error in cannabis labeling.

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This week, Alex Burnett, co-founder of Canna Innovations, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how lean manufacturing principles can have a profound impact on cannabis operators.

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

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This week, Harrison Bard, CEO and co-founder of Custom Cones USA, joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how he built a customer-centric pre-rolled cone and packaging business focused on compliance.

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.

This week, Casey Creaney, vice president of product integration at Advanced Vapor Devices joins the Cannabis Equipment News podcast to discuss how we are on the tip of the iceberg in terms of advancements in technology, compared to other industries.

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Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast or suggest a potential guest, you can reach David Mantey at David@cannabisequipmentnews.com.